WUNRN
The Republika
Srpska is one of the two main political entities of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Amnesty International
A monument in memory of 120 women who were
raped and sexually assaulted in a village near Zvornik during the conflict
© Amnesty International
31/10/2012 - The full extent of the sexual
violence during the 1992-1995 war in
When everyone is silent: Reparation for survivors of war-time rape in
Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, gives a snapshot of the
situation today of women survivors of war-time rape and is part of the
organization’s ongoing project to get justice and reparations.
Since the start of the war Amnesty International has collected numerous
testimonies of women who were subjected to torture, including often systematic
and repeated rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy and other crimes of sexual
violence.
“The silence surrounding the war-time rape of women in Republika Srpska, an
internationally recognized crime under international law, is deafening. Both
the authorities and the media are ignoring the suffering of part of the
population,” said John Dalhuisen,
“Almost 20 years after the end of the conflict, the cruel failure to ensure
justice for survivors of wartime sexual violence must at last be brought out of
the shadows if the survivors themselves are to rebuild their lives and their
families, communities and societies are to heal.
“Many of the survivors still struggle with the physical, emotional and social
consequences of the crimes committed against them. Justice for survivors
requires both the prosecution of perpetrators and the acknowledgement of – and
resolve to redress – the continuing consequences of their abuse. The Republika
Srpska authorities must move to meet these needs and work on de-stigmatizing
war-time rape, so that survivors can be given the opportunity to speak out.”
To the knowledge of Amnesty International the authorities of Republika Srpska
have never made a meaningful attempt to collect data on this population, to
understand and quantify their problems, or to develop policies that would
address their specific needs nor have they tried to stimulate public discussion
and break the silence surrounding the crimes committed against these women
during the war.
Vinko Lale, president of the local association of camp inmates told Amnesty
International: “Often, out of fear of stigma, these women don’t want to say
they were raped, so they just say that they went through different types of
torture. Maybe if they knew that breaking the silence would improve their
lives, they would feel able to speak out.”
As a result of rape and other war related human rights abuses, many survivors
have developed post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological
syndromes. They feel insecurity, shame, self-blame, depression, fragmented
memories, lack of concentration, nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety or mistrust of
other people.
“The authorities of Republika Srpska must for a start recognize, loud and
clear, that rape and other forms of sexual violence were committed during the
war. This will help create an atmosphere where public debate on this issue will
thrive and survivors will feel confident to come forward, tell their stories
and demand justice,” said John Dalhuisen.
“The authorities must identify the number of survivors of war-time rape and
look into their needs today. They must ensure that the public health system is
well-equipped to provide the survivors with the necessary medical and
psychological care.”
The current Republika Srpska Law on the Protection of Civilian Victims of War
guarantees special measures of social protection to people who suffered at
least 60 per cent damage to their bodies as a result of torture, assault, rape,
or other crimes committed in the course of the conflict provided applications were
submitted until 2007.
However, this law has excluded a great many survivors of sexual violence
firstly, because of the time limit, and, secondly, by not taking into account
psychological harm - benefits provided under this law do not extend to psychological
care.
“In order to provide to provide reparation to survivors of war-time rape, the
Republika Srpska authorities must amend the Law on the Civilian Victims of War:
firstly, by creating a separate category of survivors of rape and other forms
of sexual violence which does not impose a percentage of bodily damage as the
only criteria for granting the status; secondly, by re-opening the applications
procedure,” said John Dalhuisen.
Out of the tens of thousands of alleged crimes of sexual violence committed
against women and girls during the war in
The central government of